To play better golf, you need to learn sound pre-swing fundamentals, including gripping the club. To swing the club on the proper plane and hit the ball full tilt, you need to grip the club correctly. Failing to do so, you will rarely address your ball properly.

You can adopt a weak or strong grip. But you need to make sure the grip helps your wrists work consistently without restricting your release.

To hit your ball far and accurately, you first need to aim your clubface precisely at your target.

Then, align your body, with your feet, hips and shoulders parallel to your target line. You need to line up your body slightly closed or open to your intended target. With your driver, set your right foot back a few inches for a closed stance. This helps you turn more freely and fully. Set up with an open stance when you hit wedges and short irons. This helps you clear your hips on the downswing without extra effort.

Also critical is where you place your ball in your stance. The further backward in your stance you place the ball toward your right foot, the more of a downward blow you will create. Playing the ball more forward in your stance toward your left foot, you will hit the ball with a more upward blow. Take a slightly closed stance with the ball off your left heel when you hit your driver. Narrow and open your stance gradually as the club you use gets shorter.

Leaving your back curved or C-shaped restricts your body turn, causing your head and upper body to bob during the swing. This causes you to use your arms and hands too much, destroying your rhythm and tempo, plus balance. You cannot make a graceful swing that looks effortless.

Undoubtedly, you need to tilt your spine to your right side so your right side sits lower than your left side. Your right hand rests lower than your left hand on the handle of the club.

Bend your knees comfortably as if you are half-sitting. Place your weight on the balls of your feet, not the heels or toes. You need to feel your weight under your shoelaces. If you address your ball in balance, you will be able to lift your toes and heels slightly. Bending to a squat encourages you to preserve your address posture during your swing and hit the ball more solidly.

More importantly, you need to keep your chin "up" so your head and spine stay in a straight line. That allows your left shoulder to turn under your chin freely on the backswing. Make sure you raise your head so your chin rests away from your chest. Burying your chin in the chest at setup restricts your shoulder turn and arm swing, plus weight transfer.

At address, you need to make sure your body does not hamper your free-arm swing. Let your shoulders hang from the lump at the nape of your neck, your arms dangling naturally from your shoulders. Your club should be hanging from your hands.

Gently kick your right foot and knee inward before you swing the club back. To swing the club back smoothly, you need to use the reflex action of your kick. Focus on keeping the lump at the nape of your neck steady during your backswing. You need to feel yourself swing your arms and club around the lump at the nape of your neck.

Undoubtedly, you need to swing the club back so you can hit the ball toward your target. You need to fix your mind's eye on the target from the start to the end of the swing.

Again, keep the lump at the nape of your neck still as you start your downswing. That way you will slot your club into the correct downswing path and hit the ball solidly. Importantly, don't let the lump move forward toward your target in a faulty effort to hit hard. That causes nasty pulls and weak slices.

To hit better, you need to let your head and upper body move slightly backward away from the target through your shot. The side tilt of your spine set up at address will increase slightly when you hit the ball.

To add power to your swing, you need to release the club fully. Just unhinge your right wrist as if you're cracking a whip. An instant before you hit the ball, your right wrist remains bent backwards. You need to get it bowed through your shot to unleash your power fully into the shot.

Finish your swing low and around, with your right shoulder resting closer to your target than your left shoulder. That says you've fired your right side properly and hit the ball full tilt.